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Recent Events
October seemed to come and go very quickly.
We had our usual entertainment from Tina at High Kicks and Heels. She did her performance which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone as always. Residents were dancing, waving flags and shaking tambourines.
The days that we went to the pub had changed slightly due to Niccii being on annual leave. However, the fortnightly visits to the pub had continued and remain as popular as ever. We are very lucky to have such an accommodating environment so close by. Some of our residents are getting adventurous and trying different dishes from the menu which is lovely.
Sadly, we missed one of the visits from Bailey due to the owners being unable to make it.
In October we acquired ‘Dip’ our resident goldfish! He is a very large goldfish who was given to us by a local gentleman who was moving abroad and wanted his beloved goldfish to go to a good home.
We held our annual McMillan coffee afternoon on 10th October. It was later than normal due to Niccii being on holiday. The residents enjoyed an array of cakes and scones.
Tina Williams made a delicious lemon drizzle cake, thank you!
Diane, Vera and Colin set up a table outside selling a selection of cakes to passers- by and the builders next door appreciated a sneaky tea break and cakes all for a good cause!
Niccii, Pam, Sharon, John, Jan and Jill all took trays of cakes around the local community selling cakes in the pub, the street and near the school.
We raised a grand total of £107.00 for McMillan cancer.
Well done to Dawn for making the delicious cakes, to relatives and local people who gave donations or purchased cakes and to staff and residents who helped to sell the cakes.
We were also forwarded a cheque for £250.00 for McMillan from the niece of a resident who recently deceased, she had held a coffee morning at her home in memory of her aunt. This was a wonderful gesture and a lovely idea to hold an event in memory of a loved one.
On Halloween, Elmfield held a Halloween Party. We had decorations around the home and got into the Halloween spirit with spooky utensils, trays, plates and table clothes.
The party was enjoyed by all present. Again, thank you to Dawn for spending the tie creating a tasty feast.
We held our quarterly ‘Resident and Relatives’ meeting. Unfortunately, not everyone was aware of the meeting as last month’s packs were not posted. Apologies to those who did not see the posters.
The meeting was productive and we discussed a range of topics from activities, to feedback, upcoming events and laundry. Meeting minutes will be forwarded to relatives in their next monthly packs.
Upcoming events:
November looks set to be another busy month.
On Saturday 3rd November, we will be having a BBQ for our residents. We will have sparklers to use in the garden. It is also the annual Bonfire and fireworks on Bisley Green. As usual, Niccii and volunteers will be taking residents across to the Green to watch the fireworks. It gets very busy over on the Green. Hopefully the weather will be dry so we can wrap up warm with blankets and hot drinks to watch the colorful spectacle.
On Friday 9th November from 10am- 12pm, we will be welcoming five serving soldiers from Pirbright Army camp to come to the home and share war time experiences with our residents. They will read some world war poetry to our residents so that we can reflect on memories and experiences that may be close to people’s hearts.
The last time we had the Soldiers at Elmfield, it was a very moving experience bringing sadness, tears but also hope and joy.
It will be our way of showing gratitude and paying tribute to the brave service men and women of all ages and eras who have served their country.
Hopefully this year’s meeting will be just as memorable. Everyone is welcome.
Thank you to Samantha and her husband for helping to organise this event.
As previously mentioned, Niccii has been creating partnerships with Bisley School in recent months.
From November, on a Wednesday afternoon we will be welcoming a group of year 4 children from the school. They will be with us for approx. an hour doing activities in small groups with our residents. We are hoping that after their term with us, we will keep in touch with the children by writing letters to them like pen- pals.
Each term a different year group will come to Elmfield and depending on their age group will determine the type of activities they do with us. This is the beginning of an exciting partnership! Lunch will be early on Wednesday’s whilst we have our visitors
Staff and resident changes:
We have welcomed two new bank staff to our team.
Lorraine Vala is an experienced carer who started her induction mid- October. She will be working a variety of day and night shifts.
Samantha Holdaway has a background in childcare and has started her induction at the end of October and will be working night shifts.
We have another lady joining our bank staff team who is due to commence induction in November once security checks are completed.
We will also be introducing a ‘Care team leader’ at the end of November.
Birthdays:
October brought us two birthdays.
Dorothy Snowden celebrated her 90th birthday on 21st October and enjoyed a visit from her family.
Pamela Mulvaney celebrated her 88th birthday on 26th October. She went out for lunch with her daughter and enjoyed a party tea with her friends at Elmfield.
Other news:
We are still awaiting the dates for the annual flu jabs, we are chasing up this with the surgery daily but have not had a definite date as of yet. They temporarily ran out of supplies of the vaccination due to unprecedented demand.
We will be having an audit in November to assess ourselves against CQC standards to identify our strengths and weaknesses in order to improve. Our vision for the home is to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating in the future, this is very ambitious but is something which will be worked towards in coming months and years.
We are busy planning ahead for Christmas at present……
Once dates of events have been finalised, a list of ‘Dates for your diary’ will be distributed.
There will be lots of festive events from the Cubs decorating the Christmas tree, the school choir performing at Elmfield, the Christmas tea dance at HG wells, the Bisley church choir will be performing for us at Elmfield, we will be having a Christmas party for the residents, a Christmas lunch at the hen and Chickens, attending the carol service at Guildford cathedral, having a visit from Santa on Christmas day and lots more.
Employee of the month:
October’s employee of the month was awarded to Pamela Monge Coto for her consistent hard-working ethic and her flexibility to cover both day and night shifts, often at short notice. This is much appreciated and has been a significant help in ensuring adequate staffing levels.
Thank you and keep up the good work!